Which was your favorite setting from TSR/WotC?

[VorpalBunny]

I chose Greyhawk, 'cause that's where the fondest memories are. I also have a soft spot for the Realms, Dark Sun and Planescape.

 

[ngenius]

My favorite is Planescape but I also like Forgotten Realms

My favorite setting is Plancescape, because I just love the concept of traveling through all the various planes. But most especially, I like the design and layout the City of Sigil and the concept of the Lady of Pain.

However, Forgotten Realms, is another of my favorites, because of all the very interesting NPCs like Drizzt Do'Urden and Elminster, though Elminster reminds me too much of Gandalf from The Lord of The Rings.

I never played Dragonlance, but I find the novels very interesting, the most inetersting from all the other novels, including those about the Forgotten Realms. However, novels about the Underdark really rock, Big Time!!! But especially those about Drizzt, written by R. A. Salvatore.

 

[trancejeremy]

I think Mystara was first used around the time they put out the Hollow World setting, because they needed a name to encompass both the HW and KW. Plus, Mystara was trademarkable, which is important because there were a couple of D&D video games.

 

[Krypter]

PLANESCAPE. The best presentation and storytelling of all the worlds, coupled with some fortuitously fantastic drawings and paintings from DiTerlizzi, made this setting perfect.

And, you can essentially travel to any other campaign world if you feel like it.

However, I don't think a 3rd Edition would be as good. The huge number of rules and options in 3E would make Planescape too clunky. The original PS was incredibly rules-lite and focused on cool places, cool characters and exotic creatures tied to metaphysics-made-real. I wouldn't want that ruined with umpteen prestige classes and bogus feats.

 

[exile]

I had to vote Dark Sun. I love the blasted-post-apocalyptic-but-still-clearly-fantasy-with-inspiration-taken-from-pre-medieval-cultures atmosphere. I liked the way psionics were integrated into they setting from the ground-up (as opposed to being the afterthought they so often are). I love the struggle to survive (and find metal weapons and water). I love the environmental theme that runs through the setting. I love the tall, lanky, running all day elves.

I like Planescape a lot too. Tony D. is by far my favorite artist to ever do work for TSR/WOTC. His images really created a feel for that setting.

I've actually played more games in Greyhawk and FR than anything else, and the game I am planning now is to be set in the Realms.

 

[Kanegrundar]

I sort of like the Ravenloft 3E stuff I've seen (and I don't even have any of the Gazetteers) but as another poster said it's the lack of adventures that kills it for me. Sometimes it feels like the authors are *telling me* instead of *showing me* and that does kind of turn me off. "This is scary. That is scary." I see all kinds of fun possibilities, but I simply don't have the time to follow through on them.

That is part of it for me. While I liked the netbooks that were put together by the folks at the Kargatane, I really didn't like the viewpoint they took when a couple of them got the job of updating it for 3e. It was as if i was reading a book on how Ravenloft should be ran instead of just fleshing out the setting by cleaning it up and giving us a solid foundation to game on. Plus, there are a lot of errors of continuity in the books and with several darklords not being detailed, it just wasn't as interesting to me. The whole revision really put me off to the whole idea of Ravenloft. I'm glad it's still around and that some people like it, but I'll stick to my homebrews and Planescape campaigns.

Adios,
Kane

 

[Ant]

The group are currently purging (and occasionaly encouraging) evil throughout Greyhawk and they love it. It warms the heart when one of the guys comes up to you outside of the game and tells you how much they enjoy the richness of the campaign world.

Which suits me fine as Greyhawk is still my favourite setting after these many years.

 

[Neo]

hmm I would have to say Forgotten Realms has always been my personal favourite, largely because it is detailed and very "atypical" fatasy while retaining enough basic similarities to our own cultures as to provide something "familiar" enough for anyone to play.

Spelljammer I really loved with a passion and it appeled to means as the planescape alternative to link all the settings.

Dragonlances Krynn I always loved the feel of but always found it lacking something none of us could ever put our finger on when running it.

Greyhawk was good but after the first boxed set never really got the attention it deserved and why it was continued once the Forgotten Realms kicked in i'm not sure as it never got treated in any worthwhile fashion, better to have given its license to someone else who could have given it the time and attention it deserved imo. Not keen on the "D20 standard campaign" nature of it atm as it isn't supported by the other books that get released, so it ends up as more of a non relevant hindrance than helpful greyhawk flavouring here or there..

Planescape never bothered much with it, it looked good but my group were a little too Prime Material for it to appeal.

Council of Wyrms nice idea, but didnt really go anywhere after the intial boxed set.

Dark Sun, personally I loved it it had a "feel" I really dug, was never overly keen on the above 1st level approach too much though as Im more of a grass routes start to a campaign DM myself liking the munchkins to go from 1st to 20th with no shortcuts. Only thing Dark Sun lacked imo was a decent set of psionic rules back then to back up the awesome setting.

Red Steel never looked at it so couldn't comment... in truth i dont think I even saw the boxed set for it in any shop until about 3 years ago LOL.

Birthright again I loved it love anything with scope to it and Anuire has it by the bucketload... I had a few issues with the domain rules, but nothing major. Biggest problem with this setting was my group as the whole Regent angle didn't appeal to them as they hate bookkeeping and aspects of boardgame that encroach on thier roleplay... they need smiting I know Though fortunately most hopefully have grown out of thier small minded ways... but there hasn't been much in the way of Domain running rules for D20 to date.

Al Quadim.. was nice I liked it, but to be honest its just part of the forgotten realms as far as im concerned.

Mystara I liked traditional D&D, ran a campaign in it a few times, but I think my group not knowing the background of it didn't really get the charm of it so it went largely unappreciated by them.

Ravenloft, had some great adventures there, ran some enjoyable and memorable games there, my only gripe at it was its 1800's approach instead of traditional fantasy.. it made it more pulp and hammer house than typical fantasy. Still the van richtens books were pure gold for ideas.

 

[Deadguy]

Of the list, I think I have to vote for the original, grey box, Forgotten Realms. That was the first product where I went through thinking 'I can do an adventure here... and here... and...' And Waterdeep saw plenty of use as a city in various homebrews.

However, as an inveterate homebrewer, I have never run the Realms, or indeed any other setting. Only setting I ever tried that with was Greyhawk and that turned me off prepackaged settings forever.

 

[Dinkeldog]

I played Spelljammer with a bunch of Navy and Marine Corps midshipmen. So we took turns creating watch bills and that type of thing while playing a kind of Star Trek in D&D game.